Terps Clash with Herd Friday in Military Bowl

Maryland Athletics

12-23-2013

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland football team makes its first bowl appearance since playing in the 2010 Military Bowl when the Terps take on the Marshall Thundering Herd for the first time in program history in the 2013 Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on Friday from Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md., and will mark Maryland’s 25th all-time bowl appearance. The Terps are 11-11-2 all-time in bowl games and have won five of their past six including a 51-20 victory over East Carolina in the 2010 edition of the Military Bowl at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.

LIVE Coverage on ESPN & the Terrapin Sports Radio Network• Friday's game will be broadcast on ESPN at 2:30 p.m. Mike Patrick (pbp), Ed Cunningham (color) and Jeannine Edwards (sideline) will call the action. It can also be heard on the Terrapin Sports Radio Network - Johnny Holliday (pbp), Tim Strachan (color) and Scott McBrien (sideline) have the call. The game can also be heard on Sirius Radio Channel 91 and XM Radio Channel 91, as well as over the internet at www.umterps.com. The Toyota Tailgate pregame show with Glen Younes hits the network at 1:30 p.m.

Bowl Central

First-and-10

• Maryland eclipsed the 40-point plateau for the third time this season in a 41-21 victory over NC State in the Terps’ regular-season finale in Raleigh on Nov. 30. The Terrapin offense racked up 432 yards of total offense, the fifth-highest total in a game this season and the second-highest in an ACC game (468; Virginia, 10/12). The Terps scored 34 points in the first half, the most since scoring 40 in the first half against FIU in the season opener on Aug. 31 and the most in the first half of an ACC contest since scoring 34 at NC State on Nov. 26, 2011. The Terps finished with 41 points as well in that contest, which is the last time Maryland scored 40 or more points in a conference game.

• With 432 yards of total offense against the Wolfpack, Maryland increased its total offensive yards for the season to 4,769, which is the seventh-highest total in school history. The majority of the yards have come through the air. For only the fourth time in school history, Maryland has passed for 3,000 or more yards. The Terrapins currently sit at 3,034 passing yards, the fourth-highest total in program history. The program record was set in 1993 when Maryland threw for 3,823 yards.

• Quarterback C.J. Brown has been the offensive catalyst through 12 games. Against the Wolfpack, Brown accounted for five Maryland touchdowns (3 rush, 2 pass) for the second time this season and carried the ball for a season-high 138 yards and threw for 259. Brown accounted for five touchdowns in the season opener against FIU (8/31). The last Maryland quarterback to account for more touchdowns in a game was Scott McBrien, who was responsible for six against North Carolina on Nov. 1, 2003. Brown’s three scores on the ground are the most for a Terp since D.J. Adams had four against East Carolina in the 2010 Military Bowl and his 138 yards on the ground is the third-best rushing performance by a Maryland quarterback all-time. The senior signal caller now has five of the top-10 rushing performances for a QB in school history.

• With injuries to wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Deon Long, the Terps’ depth has been tested at the position. Amba Etta-Tawo has stepped up since the duo suffered season-ending injuries at Wake Forest (10/19). Etta-Tawo has totaled over 100 yards receiving twice, is averaging a team-best 84.0 receiving yards in the last four contests, and is averaging a team-high 18.7 yards per reception in the last four. Etta-Tawo had a game-high 101 yards receiving against the Wolfpack on four catches. Over that same span, Nigel King leads the squad with two touchdown receptions, while Levern Jacobs has a team-best 19 catches.

• A constant theme on defense throughout the season has been Maryland’s ability to pressure opposing quarterbacks and attack runners in the backfield. The Terps tallied six sacks against the Wolfpack and have recorded 17 over the last five games of the season. Maryland ranks second in the ACC and is tied for 10th nationally averaging 3.00 pg. The Terps’ 36 sacks are the most by a Terrapin team since 2002 when the team had 37. The unit is led by linebacker Marcus Whitfield who is tied for fifth in the conference with 9.0 sacks. Defensive lineman Andre Monroe is tied for ninth with 8.5. As a team, the Terps are also averaging 8.0 TFL per game, which is second in the ACC and sixth in the nation.

• Three Terps received All-ACC recognition at the end of the regular season. Linebackers Cole Farrand and Marcus Whitfield, and wide receiver Stefon Diggs were named honorable mention All-ACC members by the media, while Whitfield and Diggs were also selected by the coaches as honorable mention members.

• For the second consecutive season, Maryland needed to shuffle its starting lineup multiple times throughout the season primarily because of injury. The defense was hit the hardest. The unit lost 27 starts to injury and if impactful linebacker Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil is included, the total increases to 33. On the other side of the ball, the offense lost 14 starts over the course of the year.

Media Information

• Terps on the Web: For up-to-date game stories, statistics, schedules and results, and other Maryland athletic department information, please log-on to www.umterps.com on the Internet.